Aftermath
by PierceTheBre
Summary: Shadow and an unknown second person deal with Maria's effects on their lives, while Shadow believes that he has put the past behind him . But just who is this second person? And is Shadow's past truly behind him after all?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 **

An ebony-and-red hedgehog guided a cloaked figure down a wide, dimly-lit corridor. The only audible sounds were that of their footsteps temporarily filling the empty air. At once, they reached a door at the end of the hallway, and the unidentified figure pulled back a silk purple curtain, revealing a door. The figure reached out with delicate, unsteady hands and pushed open the entrance.

The two entered a large room. The only things inside were a small, round table, two chairs, and three candles that provided a source of light in the otherwise pitch-black room. The hedgehog and the figure made their way over to the table. The hedgehog pulled a chair out from under the table for the being, and slowly sat down in the chair opposite of his guest's. The flickering candles between them lit up their faces eerily.

Unsure of what they should say to each other, the two sat in silence for a minute, until the hedgehog finally spoke up.

"I couldn't save her."

"You couldn't, Shadow?" The being's tone was unwelcoming...and female.

The hedgehog was already irritated. He suddenly stood up in rage, wanting to leap across the table and choke her. "You dare imply that I didn't give everything I had to her? That I didn't do everything in my power to save her?!"

"You know you didn't!" The female sounded as though she were already in tears. "You were there to protect her, to keep her secure...and you..."

"...failed," Shadow finished for her. He sat back down. "Nobody needs to remind me."

"We should both be over this by now. But somehow, Shadow, we're not. It's always because of Maria." The woman coughed. "Something always goes wrong because we can't let Maria go."

His voice was barely more than a whisper. "How can you say that?"

"Shut up. You think you went through a lot? Did you ever, even once, consider what I had to go through when I found out?"

Once again, Shadow felt enraged. He clenched and unclenched his fists, in an attempt to control himself. It was all he could do right now not to flip the table over and leave this _fool_ all by herself.

"What, is the Ultimate Life-Form out of words?" The woman chuckled, then began having a coughing fit.

Shadow felt a growl rise in his throat. "You don't know me. And no matter how much you would deny it, you didn't even know _her_."

The woman laughed again as she tried to fight off her coughs. "Do _you_ even know who you are?"

Shadow stood up and began to walk out of the room. "I don't have time for your immaturity."

"Wait! I...I'm sorry. You and I both know we need to have this conversation."

"For your own sake, you don't want to mess with me right now."

"What about for Maria's sake? Don't you think she would be happy, seeing us talking, trying to make progress?"

Shadow's ear flicked. Perhaps she was right. "...I think Maria would want us to move on, not dwell on the past. I loved her, yet I failed her, and that's all there is to it. Nothing can be changed. Nothing can be erased."

"You contradict yourself. You know, I basically said what you just said only a few moments ago. Anyway, quit being hard-headed and come sit back down," the woman said.

Shadow hesitated. Would Maria truly be happy seeing the two people she cared for most in the world having a conversation? He believed she would. He turned around and glared at the woman. "Fine. But..."

"Yes?" The woman piped up. Shadow could see hope gleaming in her eyes.

"I'm doing this for her. Not for you."

* * *

**A/N: Well...I just thought of this plot earlier today. I have already written the second chapter, so you won't have to wait long to read that. But anyway, I hope you liked it! Think you know who the woman is? ~PierceTheBre**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Tell me how it started."

Shadow sighed. He had sat back down in his chair, and the woman had stayed quiet as she let Shadow collect his thoughts. Yet, now, this person was wanting to know just how he and Maria's friendship had begun. "I was created by Maria's grandfather, in a laboratory, as you already know. Maria was young. When I had first started walking around the premises by myself, Maria was frightened of me. I would go over to her, and try to introduce myself, but she would usually run away. Yet, one day, something changed. Maybe the Professor asked her to, or maybe she was just unbearably lonely. Either way, one day, Maria asked if I wanted to play."

The figure didn't respond.

"We became friends. I tried to stay with her as much as possible, at first because I, too, didn't want to be alone on the A.R.K.. The guards would always stare at me warily, and approach me with caution. But in time, I was always with Maria because I didn't want any of those same guards to act out and hurt HER. She was the only female on the A.R.K., and all the guards were male." Shadow nearly choked on his own words. Even though it had been over fifty years ago, he literally remembered everything like it was yesterday.

"Go on."

"You may not want to hear this."

"Tell me. I want to know it, every single detail."

Shadow closed his eyes. He could still hear that man's screams... "...A guard made a pass at her. He grabbed her and tried to force her into a nearby closet. I think he was drunk, but that's not important. Do you really want to hear this?"

"Yes."

Shadow inhaled. The guilt he had felt that day...some might suggest that what he had done was understandable, yet, to him, it was a catalyst that shaped him into who he was today. "I...I killed him. That was the first time I used Chaos Spear."

The woman suddenly burst into tears. Shadow felt a strange desire to give her comforting words, but none came to mind. "That's how G.U.N. discovered I had been created. Word around the A.R.K. got out that I was a threat to the human population...that I was a dangerous weapon whose only purpose was destruction. Everything was fine for a few years after that incident. G.U.N. never made it obvious that they knew about me in that time, but they always did. They waited so that they wouldn't alarm anyone on Earth, and they wanted to make sure that what I had done was not an accident."

"How would they know?" The woman questioned. Shadow could see tears running down her face as the candles flickered in contrast with her skin.

"I don't know. It doesn't matter, anyway. I'm done with this conversation now." Once again, Shadow got out of his chair and headed for the door. This time, the woman made no arguements. All she did was sob as Shadow began to make his way back up that long, lonely hallway.

"Shadow? Shadow!" Shadow stopped in his tracks, but otherwise didn't respond to the woman's desperate cries. The woman hobbled up behind him.

"You can't leave me hanging like that."

"Why not? Everyone else has done so to me, so why shouldn't I to them?"

"You know better!"

"Like I said before, you don't know what I know."

The woman sniffled as she placed a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "How can you be so...so heartless?"

Shadow whipped around. He fought to keep the tears in his eyes from falling. "I was in there telling you about my darkest memories...and you have the audacity...to call me heartless?"

"Honey, we're all heartless deep down. I know that you promised Maria you would help people on Earth be happy, but why make empty promises? You help them, but they don't help you in return."

Shadow contemplated this. "It was never about that. It was about showing others the love that Maria showed me."


End file.
